NEA Mandates and Structures
Expert Group on Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenarios (EGAFCS)
| Chair(s): |
Francisco ALVAREZ VELARDE, Spain
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Secretary: |
Shahab DABIRAN-ZOHOORY
(shahab.dabiran-zohoory@oecd-nea.org)
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| Member(s): | All NEA member countries* |
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| Russia (Suspended*) |
| *Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council. |
| Full participant(s): |
European Commission
Under the NEA Statute
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| Observer(s)(International Organisation): |
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
By agreement
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| Date of creation: | 01 June 2010 |
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| End of mandate: | 31 March 2026 |
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Mandate (Document reference):
- Summary record of the 21st meeting of the Nuclear Science Committee held on 9-11 June 2010 [NEA/SEN/NSC(2010)3]
- Summary record of the 11th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle held on 20 February 2013 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2013)2]
- Summary record of the 12th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle held on 19 February 2014 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2014)2/REV1]
- Summary record of the 13th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle held on 18 February 2015 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2015)2]
- Summary record of the 27th meeting of the Nuclear Science Committee held on 22-24 June 2016 [NEA/SEN/NSC(2016)2]
- Summary record of the 15th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle held on 8 February 2017 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2017)2]
- Summary record of the 17th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle held on 6 February 2019 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2019)1]
- Summary record of the 18th meeting of Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle held on 5-6 October 2020 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2020)35]
- Mandate of the WPFC Expert Group on Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenarios (EGAFCS) [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2021)1]
- Summary record of the 20th Meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC) held on 24-25 May 2022 [NEA/NSC/WPFC/M(2023)1]
- Summary record of the 39th Meeting of the Expert Group on Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenarios (EGAFCS) [NEA/NSC/WPFC/M(2024)1]
- Revised Mandate of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC) for approval under the written procedure [NEA/NSC/WPFC(2024)2]
Mandate (Document extract):
Extract from document [NEA/NSC/WPFC(2024)2]
Background
As a result of the prioritisation effort in 2020, a reorganisation of the Nuclear Science committee (NSC) activities was performed under the guidance of the NSC Bureau. This has resulted in the change of denomination of the Working Party to the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC) and scope of work.
Scope
Under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC) and the mandate of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC), the Expert Group on Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenarios (EGAFCS) will study needs associated with the transition from current to future advanced nuclear fuel cycles.
Objectives
The objectives of the expert group are:
- to assemble, organise and understand the scientific issues of advanced fuel cycles, in particular to support emerging nuclear fuel cycle technologies; and
- to provide a framework for assessing specific national needs related to implementation of advanced fuel cycles.
These issues are critical to implementing a sustainable nuclear energy infrastructure. In order to attain these objectives, the EGAFCS will:
- define the key scientific issues by collecting and comparing information available from its members, organise the information in a systematic way and provide a deep level of understanding of each of them;
- assemble technical information on the existing and future technologies, including transmutation and storage technologies;
- develop and assess generic scenarios that are representative of the different strategies envisaged in the member countries; and
- evaluate the potential of systems beyond the current thermal and fast technologies.
The expert group will work on:
- scenario studies on innovative fuel cycle options:
- advanced systems for TRU multi-recycling and looking at waste minimisation and/or MA stabilisation in waste;
- in relation to tripling nuclear energy capacity by 2050 (as per the declaration signed by 24 countries at COP28):
- defining the most adapted reactor, fuel, fabrication and reprocessing technologies
- evaluating the impact on nuclear fuel cycle
- symbiotic fleets (LWR and Gen-IV) including SMR (LWR) or AMR (Gen-IV) based concepts,
- integrating disruption within nuclear systems,
- analysis of nuclear-renewable hybrid scenarios
- fuel cycle simulator tools.
Interactions
The EGAFCS will liaise closely with other relevant NSC working parties and NEA standing technical committees and their subsidiary bodies, especially with subsidiary bodies of the Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle (NDC), such as the Working Group on Small Modular Reactor Economics (SMR-ECON), the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) in particular providing expertise, when necessary, on issues related to the integration of nuclear power in an energy mix, and the integration of economics in fuel cycle scenario codes. The EGAFCS will work in co-operation with other international organisations (European Commission, International Atomic Energy Agency).
Deliverables
The deliverables of EGAFCS are technical reports, proceedings of seminars/ workshops, state-of-the-art reports, and technical or collective opinion papers, databases, and comparison or benchmark studies. This work will be done in task or benchmark groups, whose work will be organised in a project-like manner with outcomes and milestones. The group will also organise specialist meetings and workshops to further its objectives. The detailed list of deliverables will be tracked in the semi-annual NSC progress reports.
